Police say at least 10 people in P importing gang

Police allege a gang of at least 10 people were behind the country's largest "P" importation and that several shipments of the addictive drug were smuggled in before this month's bust.

Six people were arrested last week after two raids in which police and Customs discovered $135 million worth of drugs hidden inside two shipping containers from China.

One of the containers contained what police estimated to be $95 million worth of pure methamphetamine, commonly known as P. The other contained $40 million worth of pseudoephedrine, a precursor substance used to make P.

The hauls were the largest of their kind in New Zealand and police believe the drugs would have been supplied to the local market.

The P alone was enough to supply one in four New Zealanders with a point bag - the standard individual dose of the drug.

On Friday a seventh person, who is yet to be named, was arrested and charged in connection with the raids.

But police have the names of at least three other people they allege are also responsible for importing the drugs. And they say there are others whose identity is unknown.

Police also believe that at least seven members of the gang had successfully imported drugs into the country before this month's raid.

Detective Inspector Bruce Good said inquiries had established there were shipments in 2005-06 that police were not aware of at the time.

Those shipments are believed to have arrived at various times between January last year and this month.

Mr Good said inquiries into the sought members of the gang and their alleged activities are continuing.

Most of the men arrested so far are Chinese nationals in New Zealand on short-term visas. All but one, a tour guide, listed their occupation as unemployed when they were arrested.

Two of the men are Chinese-born New Zealand residents, one of whom lived at a Kohimarama address where police discovered several loaded firearms, $60,000 in cash and money-counting machines.

All seven remain in custody.


THE ACCUSED

* Guo Wei Deng, 43, unemployed, Chinese national. Seven charges.

* Li Fan, 28, unemployed, Chinese-born New Zealand resident. Seven charges.

* Weifeng Pan, 35, unemployed, Chinese-born New Zealand resident. Four charges.

* Ming Chin Chen, 42, unemployed, Taiwan. Three charges.

* Kai Lok Fung, 41, tour guide, Chinese national. Two charges.

* Kin Kwok Leung, 66, unemployed, Chinese national. Two charges.

* Seventh defendant, arrested on Friday, has name suppression.